Wounds of Time
by ga-mei
Summary: She had a secret, he has the time. Under Lake Laogai, a life is saved, another revealed. Jet Lee
1. Prologue

Prologue

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The thing I hate the most about all humans is their instinct to judge. They see me and they think, 'Oh! She's a cute little thing, with those big grey eyes, wide smile, and bubbly aura…' Well the thing is, they're wrong. No one knows the truth about me. No one can understand the constant pain I feel because I mask it well. I put on the act they want to believe is real. And well, I'm good at it.

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	2. Lake Laogai

**Chapter One**

* * *

I watched the Avatar and his friends from my spot in the bushes. One of the little branches was jabbing me in the side, and my eyes narrowed slightly as the irritation spread like a rash. I was tempted to move, to squirm around, but I couldn't risk the earth girl sensing my presence. They'd seem to have overlooked it, since they looked as if they were in a hurry, and I'd been on stakeout for a few hours. My fake Kyoshi Warrior garbs were back at a Lower Ring Inn; Azula had ordered us to stay out of the public eye until further notice. I'd traded the stiff garbs for some breathable green slacks, and a darker green top. I hadn't had time to braid my hair; it was tied in a messy topknot atop my head, bound with a green ribbon.

I lurched forward slightly as the last person slid down the pothole, into the lair the Dai Li commanded. My eyes shut, and I slowly counted to sixty before opening them. Beginning to take initiative in my mission, I flipped over the bush, landing light on my feet. Then I broke into sprint down the grassy hill, picking up tremendous momentum. My focus was secured on my legs, pumping forward at great speed. If I tripped, well, thank Agni no one would be around to see. Now wouldn't that be embarrassing.

When my feet hit the ground I spiraled into a flip, flying over the majority of the rock platform that little Earth bending Girl had risen up. I landed on my palms, pushing myself up to fall directly into the hole.

The fall wasn't necessarily short, nor was it long. I made sure to bend my knees a little, and when the force of impact came I could tell that it had been weakened by my falling stance. I fell forward a little and stuck my hand out to catch myself. My breathing was slow and calm, I knew the Dai Li would be waiting for the Avatar, but Azula insisted I scout out this lair should we ever be taken to it. Apparently today was the only day the plan would work, since she overheard word on the Avatar breaking into Lake Laogai.

I wasn't feeling particularly bitter about this mission. I mean sure Azula decided to put my life on the line, should the Dai Li capture me. The secret positive note of this is that it shows her trust towards me to execute the mission efficiently, and I mean I could take on a few Dai Li, but if there's a whole bunch of them….well we may have trouble. Crouching on my knees I spun over to hide behind a small crevice in the wall.

I straightened up, arching my back and leaning it lightly against the wall. Footsteps tapped along the stone flooring, I pinched my eyes shut, praying no one would find me. My hands were pressed up against the damp wall, and I could almost feel my clothing soaking in the thin lair of condensation.

"Uncle I _have_ to do this!" My eyes snapped open as the all too familiar voice filled the hallway. My eyebrows furrowed in horror as I recognized Zuko, and by his choice of words Iroh would have to be with him as well. Wait. They're in Ba Sing Se? I pursed my lips together in thought.

Should I tell Azula or no? A wave of frustration rippled through me as I prematurely decided against good or evil. I wasn't even sure what good or evil was anymore. By the looks of it, the Fire Nation has caused havoc and trauma throughout the entire Earth Kingdom, and that was bad. But at the same time I'm from the Fire Nation, it's my home country, so does that make it good?

"Ugh." I muttered under my breath, raising my fingers to my temple. I massaged my fingers around, swirling the chi in my forehead to my content. I could feel a faint headache brewing, which was in the least to say the last thing I could possibly need. The soothing swirl of chakra eased my nerves, a family trick.

* * *

I stepped from my spot, scanning the hideout with my eyes. An odd green glow illuminated the halls, spiking an ominous feel in the pit of my stomach. I caught sight of an open door and leapt towards it in hopes of a new hiding spot. I flew through the door, but skid to a stop almost instantaneously.

Iroh was standing in the doorway, giving a lecture to Zuko, both men with their back to me. The Avatar's Bison dominated the room, the poor thing looked miserable, chained to the ground. It took every muscle in my body to prevent a squeal of surprise from slipping from my lips, just from instinct. I almost tripped on my way out, as I'd pivoted as fast as my feet allowed, my food slipping on the wet flooring.

I didn't know how long I ran, how careful I was when running, or who might've caught sight of me, but it didn't matter. My heart rate had skyrocketed; I could practically feel the blood pumping through every single vein in my body. Thud thud. Thud thud. The rhythm streamed through me, and I felt my hands shaking. Oh, why didn't I stay in the circus?

I felt my lips pull into a grimace, and I grasped my heart. What was it with this uncontrollable organ? I'd never came so close to heart attack than I had back at the almost-encounter with the almost- Crown Prince and his uncle. I wasn't even sure what it was that made me act up like that. There's probably a reason Zuko and Iroh were dressed in Earth Kingdom attire, rather than flaunting their Fire Nation battle armor. Probably the same reason I was in disguise too. I think it would've ruined it for both of us. I realized I shouldn't tell Azula. If she asks then I can hint around it, but there's no way that I could just freely announce it.

I leaned up against the wall, panting and trying to tame my wild heart. I was beginning to calm down, having forced my wide eyes back to their normal size. Heavy vibrations shook through the wall, followed by an explosion of bricks. I leapt back, eyes widening for the umpteenth time that day.

"Don't let him get away!" I heard the Avatar cry out. He and another boy ran down a corridor. I didn't seem to recognize this boy. His hair was messy and brown, his skin gold, tanned. He was clothed in dark blue, with red armor decorating various parts of his body, such as his shoulders.

I shook away these observations as I realized a sound. Fighting. In the room the Avatar and his friend had just burst out of, it seemed as if it was buzzing with battle. I grinned a little at this, realizing the luck I'd just been fortuned with. I spent a few minutes trying to catch my breath, in which time the Waterbender (curse her, I've never been fond of her), the blind girl, and the cute boomerang ponytail boy ran out of the same cave the Avatar had just created. A few moments later a small slender little boy (or was it a girl?) and a tall scrawny boy followed the same path.

I'm not going to lie. I should've carried on with Azula's orders, but I didn't. They say curiosity killed the cat…well, I suppose I'm one stupid cat. I slowly began down the path the Avatar and his allies had used, contorting and twisting my body in ways to make my chakra less noticeable and my footsteps even lighter.

I could hear faint voices approaching as I made my way closer and closer to the enemy. I froze when I heard the Waterbenders voice play in my ears.

"We should find Appa now."

My eyes widened in alarm, glancing around the corridor to scout an area to hide. I saw another hallway, leading Agni knows where. I quickly slipped from my spot to the hallway, waiting for the voices to get louder before surpassing my location. I began to wonder if I even had incentive to go to my destination now, since the Avatar and friends had left. There definitely weren't enough footsteps to match up with the number of people who had run to the area. So who had stayed, and why? After all the voices trailed out of earshot, I bound from my spot. Sprinting down the hall the Avatar had just come from, I noticed a large archway. Three beings were in sight, though the shadows concealed them well.

One was on their knees; it was the person whose gender I was unable to figure out. The person appeared to be crying, but judging by the semi-high pitched sobs I guessed it was a girl. The slender boy was on his feet, notching his bow with an arrow. I saw him bring it up to a ready position, pulling the arrow back, touching his thumb to his cheek. The arrow appeared to be pointed at no where in particular.

The boy lying on the ground was the golden skinned brunette boy. I felt slight disappointment pinch at my chest. Why was it the attractive ones always had to go? From my peripheral vision I noticed the arrow boy redirect his target. It was now the golden skinned boy. It was almost as if some magnetic force was pulling me towards the trio. I felt my legs propelling themselves forward; any thought about stealth was obliterated by this point.

The girl's head snapped up, her cheeks were stained red. I wondered about this, but as I got closer I could see it was her face paint that had done the work. Puffy eyes narrowed in on me, and I saw her mouth move. The arrow boy looked up from his target, and aimed the arrow at me. I saw his finger flicker, and the arrow was gone. I pushed up on the balls of my feet, propelling myself into the air. I tucked into a ball, slowly seeing the ground approach faster and faster until I landed on my feet.

"Longshot!" I heard the girl cry, her voice cracked with agony. Before I knew what was happening I felt arrows zoom past my body. A slight pain hit my shoulder, I felt the pulling urge to look at my shoulder to see the damage, but with a rain of arrows, that would almost be suicide. The boy came to his last arrow. He stared at it intently, as if contemplating the fate of it. Finally the arrow notched in the bow and I was zoning in on the two. The bow swung around, moving the aim away from me entirely. It pointed at the golden skinned boy.

I could tell by the way the golden-skinned boys chest moved that it wasn't over if I assisted. I'd seen those patterns millions of times when Azula forced me to strike the deadly blow. If he was left alone much longer then yes he would die, but I knew how to fix the situation. If only these two people would just stop making things difficult! Lying by the fallen boy's side were two hook-swords, most likely his first weapon of choice. The tall boy pulled the arrow back to his cheek.

"No!" I cried. All was silent as I stopped before the two. The girl reached to her waist, likely choosing her own weapon. "He doesn't have to die." I glanced down at the boy. His breathing was ragged and full of effort. It pained me to see this happening; he had a few minutes max.

"Prove it." The girl sneered behind her teeth, doubting my abilities. We'd never met before. I was a random stranger to her; she was a random stranger to me. I have enough bloodshed on my hands from this war. Enough. Azula wanted to deceive the Dai Li and Long Feng, and I was just tired of it. I glanced down at the boy and stepped over him so that one foot was on either side of his body. I bent down, my hands balled into small fists. I prepared to strike and prove my skill when I realized something. If I screwed up, I was dead. I was a master at pressure points…but it wouldn't hurt to double check.

My right fist uncurled, and I pressed my palm to his heart. I felt the heartbeat, trailing my hand along his chest. I felt the corner of my lip twitch a little, I'd been right. The fist re-curled, and I struck his chest three times. Right. Right. Left. The boy released a large breath of air, gasping for more supply. The girl tensed on the side when I stepped off to the side.

"What did you do?" The girl demanded protectively. Her eyes narrowed at me, she still thought I was going to attack.

"His chi was blocked. It could've been fatal. I know how that damage works, he's going to live, but it'll take a lot of recovery time."

The girl glanced uneasily at the tall arrow boy. I could see glistening tears welling up in her eyes. "We don't have a lot of time." She whimpered, shaking her head. "The Dai Li's coming after us." She groaned. "But we need to take care of Jet. He took care of us."

Jet? That must be his name. I glanced down at Jet, then to the girl. She looked as if she was heavily contemplating something with the tall boy. They were staring at each other intently. What was this? I'd never seen it before, two people communicate without words.

"What's…what's going on?" I inquired slowly, the silence slowly eating at my patience.

"We need to leave Ba Sing Se for good." The girl whispered. "We came here for a new life. That's obviously not going to happen. We're allies of the Avatar, now number one on the Dai Li's hit list. But…" She trailed off, staring at Jet.

"Who's there?" A gruff voice demanded. I saw a group of five or six Dai Li Agents.

"Go!" The girl cried with her eyes wide in alarm. She bent down to scoop up Jet, his weight proving to be too much.

I groaned, unfortunately I knew what I'd have to do. Sometimes it really sucked to be the nice one. I took Jet from her, her eyes locking onto mine. I could tell right then and there she was defining my whole personality and being from looking in my eyes. She was determining my trustworthiness. She released the last of Jet's weight onto me as I held him on my back. I felt his hands weakly link with each other to ease my burden. The tall boy picked up Jet's weapons, situating them on Jet's hip before stepping back into the shadows.

"I'm sorry Jet." The girl whispered, before joining the tall boy. The two sprinted off, fleeing the lair. Azula was _not _going to be happy with me. This is what she gets for sending me on a solo mission!

I faced the Dai Li agents when I began to hear an odd sound. I glanced towards the walls. Water was freely streaming through them. The water splashed onto the ground, creating massive puddles. I stared in confusion, and when I looked up the Dai Li agents were gone. My heart skipped about twenty beats right then and there, and I took off down the hall. I cursed myself as I'd forgotten my path, taking random rights and lefts whenever available. Water streamed down every wall, the place was flooding. Long Feng was destroying Lake Laogai, and I was stuck inside of it with a crippled boy.

* * *

A/N:

Well that took forever. The last review was my muse to keep going to be honest. The reason Ty Lee saved Jet is currently unknown but I'll think up something. This story is going to be long. I'll try and update soon!


	3. Jet

**Chapter Two**

* * *

I glanced around frantically; I could feel my chest heaving under the weight of Jet. I struggled, shifting my weight and trying to figure out a way out. I felt a temporarily increased pressure as Jet squeezed my shoulders, pressing his arms down on them. I glanced at his finger, which was pointing down a hall. Slowly I began to walk the hall, finding it more and more difficult to walk as the water pressure slammed into my shins.

The water rose higher and higher, it was halfway up my thighs. I felt Jet set his chin on my shoulder, his finger more alert as it pointed out the directions. Black spots began to speckle my vision as the distinct smell of salt overwhelmed my nose. I felt something slam into my right toe, sending me sprawling into the water, face first. When I rose up from the water I felt a wide load lifted right off of my back. Alarmed, I glanced around. Jet was shakily rising to his feet, his eyes met mine. He seemed confused at the sight of my unfamiliar face.

"Come on." I offered him my hand and he took it. I knew the exact symptoms he was faced with from my recovery process. His chest should be pinching a little; he should be able to feel the strength of his blood pumping through his veins in the place that Long Feng had blocked. I assumed he'd be able to walk by now, I'd been carrying him to quickly escape the Dai Li, and he'd been in no condition to fall into defense.

I realized I had no idea which way we were supposed to be going, but I felt a tug on my hand as Jet took the lead. It was incredibly difficult to navigate through the water and now that I took actual notice I realized it had risen all the way to my waist. The current pushed against my legs, the loose fabric becoming heavier to move in now that it was wet. A small throbbing irritation struck me in my right toe, the same toe I had tripped on.

* * *

Before Jet and I was a large metal ladder. I recognized it as the latter I had completely disregarded during the rush on my way down. Alarm struck my chest as I realized I'd never fulfilled the extent of Azula's mission, and then I relaxed. The Dai Li's lair was in the self-destruction process, there would be no lair for her to be taken to in the future. Jet released my hand, grasping the ladder. He began to ascend it and when he had made it halfway up I grabbed the bars and heaved myself up it, quickly ascending as well. I completely ignored the black blotches that had resulted in the adjoining of the black speckles that previously dotted my vision.

Sunlight stung my eyes as I pulled myself out of the lair. I rose to my feet, finding my legs buckling beneath me. My head was pounding; I felt my gag-reflex kicking in at the back of my throat. The black blobs all began to join together, rendering me temporarily blind as I fell to the ground.

* * *

Goosebumps. That's the first thing I remember feeling as I regained consciousness. A particularly chilly breeze nipped at my cheeks and the nape of my neck. My entire body felt chilled and rigid as I began to regain feeling. I sat up, the uncomfortably damp fabric under my fingers felt odd. Foreign. As I looked up my eyes met with a pair of dark brown eyes.

There he was, the golden-skinned boy I had saved. Jet. His knees were pulled up to his chin, his wrists locked around them. His brunette hair had dried messy and straight, though his clothes seemed to still be damp as well.

Silence seemed to drag out time between us. The only sound was the whisper of the wind as it passed us and the rustling of the leaves that it disturbed on its way. Jet's two hook swords were laid in front of him, the only barrier between us. Watching him staring at me sent a million questions into my mind. Why had I saved him? Why had I taken him with me? Why was he still here?

I slowly began to contemplate answers. Azula. She's a monster, a powerful monster. I'm lucky to be on her good side. Nothing stands in her way, literally. She'll stop at nothing, and sometimes it affects the lives of others around us. She's pressured me to send the deadly blow, sometimes even threatened me. I've killed people with that move. I suppose I was tired of death, I wanted something more. I wanted to know that I could be just as much a savior as a killer. I felt my cheeks get hot as I glanced at the ground, thoroughly ashamed of my past deeds.

Okay, that covered the first question. Now, why had I taken him? He's attractive; yes I'll give him that. But I don't abduct attractive boys. Other than acknowledging their looks I hardly give them a second glance. I'd seen the way that one girl had been crying at the assumption of his fate. It didn't have to be that way. But he was in no shape to go back out to Ba Sing Se and flaunt his life. Long Feng would be sure of an end to him. I groaned, the girl and boy were probably long gone, they were smart to evacuate. I suppose I'd be able to smuggle him into the Lower Ring apartment. But WHY! I felt my nerves tense up. The answer was so similar to the last question that I wondered what was going on. I was tired of war. Violence. Helpless people. I wanted to help them.

Lastly, why was he here? Oh. I can't really answer that.

"Why are you still here?" I inquired softly, the first to break the silence. His eyes had drifted off to a tree while I was internally battling with myself. They snapped back to lock with mine at the sound of breaking silence.

"I think the more important question is who are you?" Jet asked. His eyes showed distaste and confusion, curiosity and pain.

"Ty Lee."

"I don't know you." Jet stated, narrowing his eyes at me. The suspicion that filled his stare was almost overwhelming.

"That's right." I confirmed, nodding my head slowly. Silence filled the air.

"Where are Smellerbee and Longshot?" Jet asked after a moment. I arched an eyebrow. Smellerbee? Longshot? I remembered the girl calling the boy Longshot, so the girl must be Smellerbee. They said they were fleeing Ba Sing Se as fast as possible.

"They're long gone by now." I muttered. "They're leaving the city to shake the Dai Li from their trail. They didn't tell me where they were going." I hadn't really expected them to tell me where they were going either, I hardly knew them. I'd just saved their friend, their friend who I was apparently now responsible for.

Jet stared down at the ground, his fingers weakly reaching down to pluck up some grass. He piled the few shavings of grass on his kneecap. Silence encompassed us once more. "What happened back there?" He finally inquired under his breath.

"By the looks of it, you went down." I whispered. "I was the one that saved you." I held up my right hand. "I'm a master with the chi in the human body."

"Can you bend it?"

"No." I laughed a little, shaking my head. "I can block it and unblock it with small jabs." Silence flooded the air again. I felt irritated at this. "I'm…not a bender." I grumbled under my breath.

"Me either." Jet unfolded his legs so he was sitting criss-crossed, rather than all curled up. He picked up one of his hook-swords, admiring it in the sliver of light that hit the patch of grass we were sitting near. "This is my weapon of choice."

I studied the sword in his hands. "It looks complicated." I'd never trusted any extension of myself. The human body was a magnificently powerful weapon on its own. I didn't need a weapon to produce the desired results. "I don't really use weapons."

"I kind of assumed that." Jet glanced away. His eyes narrowed slightly. I detected pain in them, the way the glare wasn't directed at me, but rather an inanimate object. "They left me." He muttered, moving his head to shake it over his lap.

"They didn't have a choice." I whispered in their defense. "The Dai Li would've taken us all out. This way all of us lived."

"Yeah." Jet snapped his head up, the glare still very evident. Only this time, it was fully directed at me. "Except for all my loyalty to them means nothing, because when it came down to it, they abandoned me. Both of them abandoned me." His fists clenched.

"No." I sighed rather impatiently. "They were more loyal to you than you'd ever know. They gave you a second shot at life. They-'

"No, YOU gave me a second shot at life." Jet snapped, rising to his feet. I noticed one of his legs threatening to buckle under him. "They fled for their lives."

"No. They fled so that not all of us would have to die. The girl, Smellerbee, she didn't want to leave you. Neither did Longshot. But it was the _only_ way we would all live. Without _their _judgment it wouldn't have mattered if I had saved you or not because we would've been murdered, or we would've drowned, or been trapped." I rose to my feet as well. "You've got a really bad attitude, you know that?" I jabbed him with my finger in the chest, avoiding his pressure points.

Before I knew what was happening I felt my body being thrown back. It met the back of a tree. I released a yelp from the shock of impact. I went to raise my arms, but I felt cold metal binding my wrists. The next thing I knew, they were above me. My eyes widened as I felt his fingers slip into my pocket, retrieving a brass key. The key to the apartment I shared with Azula and Mai.

"W-what are you doing?" I demanded, my voice shrieking high pitches. I struggled with the two hook swords that separated my two fists.

"I can't go back to my apartment in Ba Sing Se. So I'll take yours." Jet shrugged, turning to leave.

"But!" I began to scream that two girls would easily teach him a lesson when he turned up with my key without me. But then I stopped. My eyes narrowed. He ignored my last cry and continued walking, out of sight. After a few minutes of eerie silence I screamed in frustration. I shook my wrists in their steel cuffs. "JET!"

* * *

A/N: Well you didn't expect them to behave now did you? I haven't written in a LONG time so my writing is very rusty. I only hope to make longer chapters from here. This is one of few stories that I am not going to plot out. I hope to make twists and just see where they take me. Review please!


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